Machine for trimming the printing faces of type bars or slugs



Nov. 7, 1933. J. c. PLASTAR AS 1,934,140 MACHINE FOR TRIMMING THE PRINTING FACES OF TYPE- BARS 0R SLUGS Filed Sept. 26. 1931' 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 [1V VENTOR Nov. 7, 1933.

v J. c. PLASTARAS 1,934,140

IACHINE FOR TRIIIING THE PRINTING FACES OF TYPE BARS OR ,SLUGS Filed Sept. 26, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheetv 2 BY MMM Nov. 7, 1933. J. c. PLASTARAS 1,934,140

MACHINE FOR TRIMMING THE PRINTING FACES OF TYPE BARS OR SLUGS Filed Sept. 26, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 AVVENTOR A TTOINE Y;

Nov. 7, 1933. J. C/PLASTARAS ,934, 40

MACHINE FOR TRIMMING THE PRINTING FACES OF TYPE BARS 0R SLUGS Filed Sept. 26, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VENTOR Patented Nov. 7, 1933 i Q MACHINE FOR TRIMMING THE PRINTING FACES OF TYPE BARS on SLUGS James C. Plastaras, Laurelton, N. Y., assignor to Mergenthaler Linotype Company, a corporation of New York Application September 26, 1931 Serial No. 565,230

6 Claims. (01. 90-19).

This invention relates to machines for trim- In the accompanying drawings, the invenming the printing. faces of type bars or slugs, tion is shown merely in preferred form by way such as are cast in the commercial linotype maof example, but obviously many changes and chine. variations may be made therein which will still In casting the larger slugs, say, from 42 pt. to be comprised within its spirit. It should there- 60 60 pt., spots frequently occur onthe printing fore be understood that the invention is not faces of the slugs, and unless removed, cause limited. to any specific o m or embodiment, excorresponding imperfections in the printed matp a a Suc m a s are p e in ter. Such imperfections are due largely to slight the claims v 1 irregularities or unevenness in the bottom sur- Of the drawings:

faces of the matrix cavities in which type char- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the complete acters are cast and, although extreme care and machine; V accuracy are observed in the course of matrix Fig. 2' is a longitudinalsection taken on the manufacture, the degree ofperfection attained line 2--2 of Fig. 3; p v

in punching or forming type producing cavities Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 7 is governed more or less by variations in the 33 of Fig. 2; I grain of the metal used and is therefore. very Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of part of the uncertain. In overcoming, the described difli a g table o Supporting e Slugs during culty, it has heretofore been a common practice the cutting or trimming operation of the cutter to rub by hand the printingfaces of the slugs head; 75 I upon an emery coated block before assemblage Fig. 5 is a detail View of the cutter, partly in in the printing forms. This practice, however, section and taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4; requires that each slug be handled and inspected Fig. 6 is a perspective view of part of a slug separately, and is slow, tedious, and otherwise of one form; and

objectionable. Fig. 7 is a similar view of part of a slug of so The present invention, which dispenses enanother form. tirely with all such manual'operations, is direct- Referring to the drawings in detail, and first ed to a novel machine, for automatically finishbriefly describing a fra e in ch t pe at v ing or trimming the printing faces of the slugs Darts otthe'machine are mounted, t p

produced in t Linotype machine This embodiment of the invention therein illustrated chine, moreover, is small, compact, and portable includes Small Compact Casing 1 made of Cast and yet thoroughly efiicient in operation. t lins is hollow for Sake- Of A, referred embodiment f the invention, lightness and'so that it may house certain parts possessing the above characteristics and capable of h mechanism- 35 of trimming the slugs with great precision, com- The s of the Casing is Oblong and box-like prises a table support for the slugs rotatable at n s p an p vid at its n r Wi h l s y slow rate of speed, whereby the slugs maybe which thedevice may be attached in a convenplaced upon or removed from the table, While the tional manner to a p as a, b and the machine is in full operation. Associated with base. is roughly d v ded to fOlll Compartments 40 the rotatable support is a cutter for trimming y o tudi a d a a Strengthening ribs,

the slugs and'rotatable at a high rate of speed, all 1 91 3 5 ShOWIIiII FigS- 2 d 3- The b wherelcy the slugs are trimmed during one rota tom plate 2 "0 t e e c osed ba e iS formed fortion of the table and with a multitude of light wardly wi h ad p' n ins' 3, whi hrwill be cutting. strokes, thereby avoiding stress on any Iaterfreferred t0, a d t forward p Of the 45 of the. bearings of the device. The means for base is shallow, see Fig. 2, its cover being a fiat rotating the table and cutter, and the motor top plate 4 removably secured to the base. Rearfor driving these parts, are all of such character wardly, the base is higher than in the forward and so arranged and coordinated that the device part and a cross wall 6 is arranged above the is operated without stress or wear of its parts plate 4, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The

50 and entirely without'chatter, whereby the origitops of thesurrounding Walls of the said rear nal alinement of the rotating parts will be preportion of the base are flanged to receive a holservedancl there will always be maintained the low standard 7, forming the upper part of the constant plane of rotation of the printing faces casing, and which standard is removably se-. of the slugs with respect to the cutter which is cured to the base with bolts in a usual way.

55 necessary for a perfect trimming operation. 1 The hollowstandard 7 rises, as stated, from the rear part of the base, and at a suitable height thence bends forwardly to form a hollow arm 8, which extends longitudinally in parallel relation to the flat base plate 4, so as to overlie the same, the distance between the plate 4 and the arm 8 being sufficient to permit the installation and operation, between the said plate and arm, of the trimming mechanism hereinafter described. At its outer end the arm 8 terminates in a boss 9, which will be later considered. To support the slugs to be trimmed, and in order conveniently to accommodate the largest number of slugs possible within the narrow confines of the compact, portable device, an annular table 11 is provided and given a movement of rotation past a cutter with which the machine is furnished and which will be presently described. In order that the cutting operation may be maintained in a constant plane, 'thetop surface of the table, on which the slugs are secured, is made perfectly level and even, so that all points thereof are in a common plane. Parenthetically, it may be noted that the slugs to be operated upon have already been trimmed on their bottoms. I

The invention has in view, also, that the slugs be placed upon the'table or taken therefrom while the table is in motion and without interfering with the operation of the machine. Accordingly, the table is arranged with a forced fit upon a rotatable shaft 12, which will be later considered, geared to rotate at a slow'rate of speed, say, three revolutions per minute. The slugs 10 are secured to the table 11, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, by means of oblong abutments 13, preferably four in number and arranged in hollow square formation. These abutments 13 areformed with smooth evensides in perpendicular relation to the flat level surface of the table, and the slugs to be trimmed (specimens 10 of which are shown in Figs. 1 and 2) are pressed firmly against said sides with their heads overhanging the tops of the abutments. The abutments are of such length and height that they will accommodate slugs of any size or character. The slugs are maintained in position against the abutments 13 by clamps 14, one for each abutment, and which clamps are swivelled in adjacent ends of set screws 16, whose other ends are anchored in studs 17 (see Fig. 2). These studs 17 have screw end pieces and are bolted to the table, passing through orifices 18 formed therein. The table 11 is formed with a number ofthese orifices 18, at convenient distances apart,

as shown in Fig.1, so that the studs 1'7 may be supplied in varying number and arrangement.

holding position against the side of the slug 10, and then remove the slug; and, conversely, when the slug has thus been removed, to insert another slug in its place and refasten the clamp 14 in operative or holding position by merely turning the set screw 16 in the opposite direction; and all, as hasbeen stated, without interfering in the least degree with the operation of the machine.

Cutter tools 19 for cutting or trimming the printing faces of the slugs are mounted in a cutterhead 20, the location and diameter of the cutter head being such that, as the slugs are carried around by the rotating table, the tops of the type characters, irrespective of size, will pass through the orbit of the cutter and hence be trimmed thereby, (see Figs. 1 and 4).

And here it may be said that, in practicing this invention, it is preferred, although not at all necessary, that the slugs should be cast of slightly greater than normal type height, thus providing a small excess of metal on the type characters to be trimmed or otherwise removed in obtaining the flawless printing faces desired. This greater-than-type-height of the slugs will not only compensate for the metal removed by the cutters, but will contribute to a more satisfactory performance of the cutters, since a continuous surface of metal on each type character will be presented to the cutters for their action thereon rather than a succession of surfaces made by excrescences or irregularities of the type faces.

It is also preferred, in accordance with another feature of the invention, that the cutter head 20 be rotatably mounted, so that the cutter tools 19 shall operate on the slugs with a multitude of light cutting strokes. The cutter 'head'20, therefore, is mounted to rotate at very high speed, say, thirty-five hundred revolutions per minute, so that in one rotation of the table the printing faces of any slugs mounted thereon will be'trimmed and thiswithout any appreciable strain on the parts or disturbance of their true relative positions. 7

It is pointed out that, as a slug is carried by the rotating table 11 into the cutting zone, the leading end of the oblong slug will in its turning movement describe an arc of a circle, the following body of the slug also describing a constantly decreasing arc until the slug is moved clear of the cutting zone. The cutter tools 19, also, in being carried around by'the cutter head 20, will describe a circle, whose diameter is great enough to define a'cutting zone appropriate for the largest slug to be trimmed.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 4,the cutter head 20 is cruciform in shape and the cutter tools 19 are arranged in passages 22 extending through opposite arms 23. and 24 of the cutter head and with the cutting points of the tools protruding therefrom. The passages 22 are formed slantingly in the arms of the cutter head so that the cutter tools 19 will be arranged in angular relation to the slugs 10 and present to the latter only a cutting point rather than an edge. The cutting tools are cylindrical in shape and their longitudinal positions in the passages 22 are defined by screw plugs 19. The tools are held against rotary or longitudinal movement in'the passages 22 by set screws 19 ;'as clearly shown in Fig. 5. At its operative end each tool 19 is cut away to a vertical edge with unequal elliptically shaped side faces 25 and 25, said faces preferably forming the complements .of each other. A great advantage of this tool is that it can be rotated in its passage in the cross arm on its own fixed longitudinal axis and thus present for a considerable extent, when slightly rotated, a fresh point of the curved edge of the larger elliptical face 25 as a cutting point. Another' advantage of the tool is that it can be readily sharpened by honing.

It is to be noted that, as heretofore stated,

the flat level table is mounted in such manner i l-ES the trimming operation. Furthermore, the table is so mounted that it can be adjusted toward and from the cutter to vary the depth of cut or to accommodate slugs of different height.

To insure perfect rotation, the table 11 is arranged with a forced fit as heretofore stated, upon a vertical shaft 12 which is formed with cone-shaped bearing recesses 27 and 28in its lower ,and upper ends, into which ends seat correspondingly cone-shaped bearing ends 29 and 30 of pintles 32,, 33. These pintles at their opposite ends are arranged in sockets 34, formed respectively through the bosses 3 and 9, hereinbefore, mentioned, the shaft 12 passing through an orifice in the plate 4, all as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The pintle 33 extends entirely through the socket 35 in the boss 9 and is screw threaded in the upper. end of the same as at 36 to facilitate and maintain its adjustment vertically. When the pintle 33 has been adjusted in a desired vertical position, it is locked in such position by a set screw 37 bearing against the pintle through a threaded passagein the side of the boss 9, as shown in Fig.2. To protect the bearings at the upper end of the shaft 12 from dust and other foreign matter, a tube 38, see Fig. 2, surrounds such bearings and is held in place against the boss 9 by a coil-spring 3'7 bearing against the tube 38 and the table 11.

The socket 34 in the boss 3 is closed with a screw plug 39, thus permitting access to the pintle 32, when desirable for any purpose; and when the pintle has been adjusted to required position, it is locked in such position by means of a locking screw member 40 which is threaded in the side of the socket 3 and bears at its inner end against the side of the pintle.

This form of rotatable mounting of the table 11 is of peculiar advantage in association with the rotatable mountingof the cutter, being in its nature designed to maintain a constant vertical relation between the shaft 12 and the pintles 32 and 33 and, therefore, to maintain a constant plane of rotation of the table, while at the same time the absence of. stress or pressure on the cone-shaped bearings of the shaft and its pintles will avoid wear on those parts. The parts also are readily accessible and may be installed, removed and adjusted with ease and facility.

While the vertical position of the table 11 and the shaft 12 and, therefore the vertical posi-- tion of the printing faces of the slugs in relation to the cutting or trimming tools, may be adjusted at will, it is of great advantage that such vertical adjustment can be made with great delicacy, when operating, as in this case, in small dimensions, the amount of metal to be removed from the printing faces of a slug being very slight, often being less than one thous'andth of an inch. p

In order, therefore, tofacilitate the adjustment of the shaft 12 and rotating table 11 to various positions vertically, the boss 3 is formed with three symmetrically'disposed wells 41, containing coil springs 42, which at their outer or upper ends surround protuberances 43 of a plate 44, which in turn bears against an annular shoulder 45 on the pintle 32 (see Fig. 2). Upon withdrawing the locking screw 40 from the side of and thus releasing the lower pintle 32, the shaft 12, which rests thereon, will then be upheld by the said springs 42, and its vertical position may be very accurately established,

within the required limits, by vertical. adjustment of the upper pintle ,33, as will;v now be apparent; The pintle 32 can then be locked in position by the locking screw 40. It will readily be seen that because of this spring support, adjustment of thefinest character of the shaft 12 and consequently the slug supporting table carried thereby can readily be made.

The fine, preciseadjustment of the table 11 and the slugs carried thereby is further facilitated by a dial 45 calibrated to indicate ten thousandths or other minute divisions of an inch, and which dial is mounted on the pintle 33 by means of a set screw 46 extending through a passage in the dial, as shown in Fig. 2, and con tacting with the wall of an annular slot 4'7 formed in the surface of the pintle 33. A pointer 48 is-mounted on the boss 9 and cooperates with the dial 45 in indicating the vertical posi-v tion of the table support and the slugs thereon carried.

It. is to be observed that the cutter head 20 in its rotation maintains a constant plane parallel to that or" the table 11, and as shown in Fig. 2, the cutter head 20 is firmly attached to the lower end of a vertical shaft 49 arranged in the opposite sides of the hollow arm 8;, and, where it rotates in bearings in the sides of such arm, it is formed with cone-shaped hub portions-50 and 51, respectively, which fit in correspondingly cone-shaped bearings 52 and 53. The lower bearing 52 is formed in a thimble 52 supported by the lower side of the hollow arm 8, the thimble having at its upper enda peripheral flange 52 seated upon an annular shoulder formed around the opening which contains the thimble. ;The upper bearing 53 is formed in the lower end of .a cylindrical member 53 slidable vertically in a cylindrical chamber of a cap plate 8 attached to the upper side of the hollow arm 8. The bearing member 53 'has an upper threaded extension 53? screwed to the be seen, the arrangement is such that the parts may be quickly and easily assembled or disassembled when desired- I I V In order to rotate the cutter drive shaft 49 at the high speed required, a high speed motor 54 is mounted upon arms 55 of a bracket 56 bolted to the rear of the, frame 1, see Figs. 2 and 3. motor rests upon springs 57 encased in recesses 58 formed in said arms 55.

the shaft 62 of the motor and thence to and over a larger pulley 63 mounted upon the driving shaft 49 (see Fig. 2).

To avoid vibration of the parts, the

In rotating the shaft 49, a belt 60 runs over a small pulley 61 of The comparative sizes of the two said pulleys are regulated to produce the desired high rate of speed of rotation of the cutter head driving shaft 49.

As has been stated, the table 11 is designed to rotate at a very low rateof speed and, as it is desirable to furnish all the operative power for the device from the'motor 54, suitable reducing gears are provided between the driving shaft 62 of the motor and the shaft 12 of the table.

As shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3, a belt 64 runs over a small pulley 65 on the shaft 62 of the motor and thence to and over a larger pulley 66 on a shaft 6'7, which latter is located in a compartment of the box-like base of the casing heretofore described, see particularly Fig. 3. Like the table shaft 12 and the cutter head shaft 49, the shaft 67 is formed at its opposite ends with coneshaped bearing recesses 68 and 69 to receive the cone-shaped ends '70 and 71 of pintles'72 and 73 supported in the opposite sidewalls of the base of the casing. At its enddistant from the pulley 66, the shaft 67 is formed with a worm 74 which meshes with a worm wheel 75 arranged on a right angularly disposed shaft '76. This shaft is likewise formed with cone-shaped bearing recesses 77 and 78 at its opposite ends to receive the cone-shaped ends of pintles 79 and 80, respectively, supported in the fore-and-aft walls of the base of the casing, as alsoclearly shown in Fig. 3.

The shaft 76 has at its forward end a worm 81 which meshes with a helical gear 82 mounted on the vertical shaft 12 which carries the rotating table 11. The helical gear 82 is splined to the shaft 12, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the shaft may be adjusted vertically, as hereinbefore described, without interference by the said helical gear. It will be noted that thesizes of the pulleys -65 and 66 and the various parts of the gearing are so proportioned that the rotation of the table 11 will be at the low speed desired, as for example, 1 R. P. M.

It will be seen that a machine for trimming slugs made in accordance with the invention, as herein shown and described, will carry out the objects of the invention as enumerated, besides possessing other advantages which will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1 In a machine for trimming the printing faces of type slugs, the combination of a frame, two shaft bearings mounted in said frame in axially alined spaced relation and provided with conical bearing surfaces, a driving shaft formed at its ends with conical bearing surfaces mating with those of said bearings and rotatably supported thereby, a slug supporting table carried by and rotatable with said shaft, a plurality of slug holding devices carried'by the table and adapted to present the slugs with their printing faces exposed, means for rotating said shaft continuously at low speed, a cutter rotatably mounted in said frame in position to act on the exposed printing faces of the slugs as they pass in succession through the zone of action of the cutter, and means for rotating the cutter con tinuously and at relatively high speed.

2. In a machine for trimming the printing faces of type slugs, the combination of a frame,

,two shaft bearings mounted in said frame in axially alined spaced relation and formed with conical ends constituting bearing surfaces, at driving shaft formed in its ends with conical cavities in which said conical ends of the bearings seat and thereby give rotatable support to the shaft, a slug supporting table carried by and movable with said shaft, a plurality of slug holding devices carried by the table and adapted to present the slugs with their printing faces exposed, means for rotating said shaft continuously at low speed, a cutter rotatably mounted in said frame in position to act on the exposed printing faces of the slugs as they pass in'succession through the zone of action of the cutter, and means for rotating the cuttercontinuouslyand at relatively high speed.

3. In a machine for trimming the printing faces of type bars or slugs, the combination of a frame, upper and lower shaft supporting pintles mounted in the frame and provided with cone-shaped bearing portions, a spring support for the lower'pintle' tending to urge the same upwardly, a vertical driving shaft formed in its opposite ends with cone-shaped bearing recesses receiving the cone-shaped bearing portions of the pintles and rotatably supported thereby, a table fixed to said shaft and provided with a fiat horizontal slug supporting surface, a plurality of slug holding devices carried by the table at different points in its circumference and arranged to present the slugs upright with their printing faces exposed, means for rotating the shaft continuously at low speed, means for adjusting the upper pintle upwardly or downwardly to vary the vertical position of the'table, a rotary face-cutter mounted to turn about a fixed vertical axis and overlying the rotary table at one side, and means for rotating the cutter continuously at high speed.

4. In a machine for trimming the printing faces of type bars or slugs, the combination of a suitable frame, a shaft supporting pintle mounted in said frame and-adjustable axially, a second shaft supporting pintle also mounted in the frame and movable to' a limited extent to and from the adjustable pintle, releasable means for holding the pintle against movement, a spring acting on said second pintle and tending when the same is released to urge the sametoward the adjustable pintle, a shaft rotatably mounted between said pintles, a slug supporting table fixed to the shaft to be rotated therewith, means on the table for holding the printing slugs with their type faces exposed, means for rotating the shaft continuously at low speed, a cutter rotatably mounted on said frame and positioned to act on the exposed faces of the slugs, and means for rotating said cutter continuously at relatively high speed.

5; In a machine for trimming the printing faces of type slugs, the combination of a frame, a shaft bearing adjustably mounted therein, a second shaft bearing mounted in the frame and movable to a limited extent to and from the adjustable bearing, releasable locking means for holding the bearing against movement, a spring support for said second bearing tending to urge the same constantly toward the adjustable bearing when the movable bearing is released, 'a driving shaft rotatably supported between said bearings, a slug supporting table fixedto said shaft, a pluralityof slug holding devices carried by the table at different points in its circumference and arranged to present the slugs withtheir printing faces exposed, means for rotating the shaft continuously at low speed, a rotary face-cutter mounted in said frame to rotate about a fixed axis and in position to act on the exposed printing faces of the slugs, and means for rotating said cutter continuously at high speed.

6. In a machine for trimming the printing faces of type slugs, the combination of a frame, a lower spring-supported shaft bearing mounted therein, an upper shaft bearing screw threaded in the frame and adapted when turned to move to and from the lower bearing, a shaft rotatabiy supported between said bearings, a slug supporting table carried by the shaft, means on the table for supporting slugs with their printing faces exposed, a cutter rotatably' mounted on the frame and positioned to act on the exposed faces of the slugs, means for rotating the shaft and table continuously at low on the frame in connection with which said v dial is adapted to be read to determine the adjusted position of the table.

JAMES C. PLASTARAS. 

